How to Use your Journal to Make Money

Live it live. Hello. So on this episode of the podcast, we're going to talk for a second about journaling. Here's the thing you might be like me, I consider myself to be a reluctant journaler. I was never the kid that wanted to sit down in my diary and write out all my deep dark feelings. And I surely don't have time for that as an adult. And so as much as I have heard out in the world, and in the business world, it's like, use your journal, use your tools. This is how you like process things and all that the math teacher in me is generally like, cool, bullshit, and doesn't always have time for journaling. But in the last couple of months, what I have realized it really in the fall sometime, is that journaling makes me money. 

This might sound bonkers, but it does. And so today, we're going to talk about the connection between journaling and in success using your journal to make money. Like when I think to myself like, Okay, I make more money when I journal then like, I actually tend to journal I make time for it, because I know it is supporting my business growth. And for me, I think I needed that push, like, I get to help more people, I get to make more money, I get to have more impact. If I use my journal, like seven minutes every day, oh, well, then I'm gonna make time for that. Because without me being connected to that really clearly, it was really easy to be like, Yeah, I don't have time for that today. Like, no, I don't have those seven minutes.

 No, I don't want to do that today. And I find even still, and I know this about myself today, like I avoid my journal when there are things I don't want to think about. But that doesn't serve me. And it doesn't serve you. So let's talk. I think there are three reasons this works. And that's what I'm going to share with you here today. There are three things that opening up your journal, and writing in it can do for you as a business owner that leads to success. The first one is noticing. This sounds simple, but it is the most important thing. Journaling writing even like 10 seconds in your journal and thinking like okay, what am I thinking right now? What am I worried about? What you know what thought? For me? Often it is like what thought am I being like oppressed by like, what is trying to cover me like a wet blanket. Right, the act of writing that down and being like, Oh, I see it, I noticed that thought and thinking like, well, but is it really true? Is everything. That's the thing, like noticing that you're having thoughts that may or may not be true, that may or may not be helpful to your business. 

Like on Monday, this week, I thought, I've just finished selling my selling by giving class it started, everything is going swimmingly, I'm thrilled all the tools are working, everybody's finding good in it, like I'm thrilled to bits about it. And my coaching practice is pretty close to full. And Monday, I sat down at my desk, and I was like, I don't have anything to sell. And I that thought was not helping me. And I noticed it I wrote it down. And I was like, wait, wait, wait. Okay, hold that. Is this really true? No. But without my journal without forcing myself to notice, I would have walked around with that thought for, you know, longer, probably far longer. And this is part of the trick. This is how we get in our own way. And for me, journaling is a tool to, you know, I'm still gonna go get in my own way. But what I'm not going to do is hang out there. Right. So like, if I'm journaling every day, for 10 minutes, I am not in my way, I noticed what's going on. And that lasts a couple hours. And then maybe I only spend six hours in my own way instead of 20. Right. 

So it is going to decrease the amount of time between like veers off the path. And that's important. Because if you're just wandering around out there carrying around thoughts that are covering you like a wet blanket without noticing them, you're not getting very far. Those are getting in your way of doing what you need to do. Creating the thing you're meant to create of helping people you're meant to help of having the impact you're meant to have. And like none of us want that none of us want that for each other. I don't want that for you. I don't want it for me. That's not cool. So the first thing we get out of journaling is noticing. The second thing I get out of journaling that I find really important is remembering this also sounds really simple. Like what do you have to remember? Well, you know, here's the thing I have to remember and you have to remember Who the heck I actually am. Like that I have not some as a client told me this week, somebody who fell off the vegetable cart this week. Like, this is not my first day in business. It is not my first day teaching anyone anything. It is not my first day on the planet. I'm not a newborn. I'm not new at any of this. And it's like, oh, wait, hold on. 

Even though sometimes things feel new. New with this, you're not new with this. None of us are new with this. And that's not mean. It's like, oh, wait, I have expertise. Oh, wait. People need what I have, oh, wait, the thing I do helps people Oh, wait, I already have had an impact. Right? It is about remembering the good that's happening, that you have an impact on people that you have value that you have expertise, that you make a difference. And that matters. So if my journal can help me to notice the wonky things wandering around in my brain, like like, like, like, over sugared children wreaking destruction, that's a good step. But if it also helps me to remember that, like, I'm the boss here, I know what I'm doing. That's even better. Because it's one thing to notice the wonky thoughts that are standing in the way and it's another to be like, You know what, and I know what I'm doing. 

So it is twofold. Those two go together, right? If we notice on Monday, I noticed this like, I don't have anything to sell thought. And then it was like way, way way, like, do I know what I'm doing? Yes. Do I always have something useful to give people? Yes, does mean showing up and giving something useful to people lead to sales? Of course. Okay. And then it was like, alright, alright, calm down, Sara, calm down. Let's peel it, pull it back together, right. That's the second reason. And the third reason. This is, you know, equally important, I feel like this is the third Third. Third, is because journaling is about becoming. In my journal, I write about who I am stepping into, not who I am today, I write down the thoughts. She thinks, I write down the things she's trying to be, it gives me room to be like, oh, you know what I am that I'm becoming that. I'm becoming somebody who does that. Right. One of the things I write all the time right now is, Money comes to me easily. And that is increasingly true. 

But I focus on becoming that. So it gives us a place to think about who we're becoming next. And not like, for seven or eight on it. Like we're not going to sit here and be like, you know, writing out word I don't have time to write out like every day, who she is and what she wears and what she eats and how she acts and where she sleeps and where she vacations. I don't have time. That's not a bad thing to do periodically to sort of check in and be like awake. But it is also just an act of like, Oh, I am stepping into a an evolving version of myself I am growing if I am a plant, I am growing in little a millimeter every day. So I am stepping into this new person who is that? And what do I know about her? Right?

What is easy for her? What is simple. I told the client this week, I refer to this version of me that I am becoming as Ben they're done that Sarah, and sometimes I asked her for advice. And we're like, okay, well what has been there done that Sarah, think of this? And what tell you been there done that Sarah was my thing on Monday was like, oh, good lord. She did not have time for this. She was like, Honey, you're fine. There's nothing wrong, everything is going to plan. Keep going. And that's the thing. Thinking about who I am becoming. And what I'm growing into, is important. Because it takes the drama away. It's like, oh, wait, I'm learning to do this. I always think I'm learning to sell this thing. I'm learning to become the person who you get to do that in your journal. So these are the reasons. 

This is why journaling makes you money. So here's the thing, you know, whatever process you want to use for this is right. If you want to fund spend five minutes a day, spend it if you want to spend 15 minutes a day and you have it spend it. But notice that none of these three things are about focusing on what you used to do. Right unless it's like and this gives me expertise now. None of this is about writing down all the things you haven't done. None of this is is about cataloging your failures. Not what it is. It's not what your journal is for it is not a tool to beat yourself with. It is not about hitting yourself in the face with it and being mean. 

It is about noticing, remembering, and becoming. So here's the other thing I will tell you. I recently did a whole workshop on this in my Facebook group, my Facebook group is the same name as this podcast. It's called uncomplicated business for teachers helpers and givers. In that live, which is pinned to the top of my group, I went through exactly what I do in my journal. And the process I use, which it takes like, maybe 10 minutes a day, maybe, maybe, probably not most days, because I don't like I don't have the I have goldfish brain. And even today, as I was writing in my journal, as I was getting ready to do this, like, I would have thought and put down my pen to be like, Sarah, come on, like five minutes, and then I would refocus. 

So I can't do a 20 minute thing here, I just can't. But if you want to know exactly how I do it, you are welcome to come in to my Facebook group, go find that training, or that workshop. If you can't find it, send me a message. Let me know and try it. But there's a million ways to do this. What matters is that you do it. Give yourself five minutes a day, make the notebook tiny, my notebooks are small for a reason so that when I get to the end of the page that can be done. But focus on noticing what's wonky, not allowing out all the wonky one at a time, right. Let's take one thing at a time, remembering who you are. Because you matter and you have an impact and you're doing good things and you have value and you are capable of moving mountains. 

Truly you are I know this from here and becoming stepping into that person who moved the mountain dust off your hands and is like what's next. So if you have questions, ask if you need stuff for me. Ask if you want to see the rest of the workshop in the Facebook group, come on in and play with us. And from here, if you are able at some point to rate or review this podcast or if you're going to subscribe, please, we would love to have you do that. And if you would rather watch them and video they're on YouTube to go check out my YouTube channel. It's all the same name. So we keep things simple. All right, happy rest of your week. I'll see you all next week.